Untitled
by Alipeewee
Summary: What would you think if someone told you that the Pokemon world was a lot darker than you thought? That battles frequently ended in injury or death, that Pokemon were regularly used as nothing more than weapons, that the Pokemon world was just like ours?
1. Chapter 1

**What would you think if someone told you that the Pokemon world was a lot darker than you thought? That battles frequently ended in injury or death, that Pokemon were regularly used as nothing more than weapons? How would you react, if the Pokemon world was just like our own?**

"Help me! Please, somebody, help!"

_That voice…_

"For God's sake, is anybody there? Help me!"

_I heard it…just an hour ago…_

"The Spearow….aaaaarrrgghhh! Please…anybody!"

_Time to go to work, Miss. Waterflower…_

"Starmie, Staryu, Goldeen! Water gun!" The three aquatic creatures burst from the balls as Misty reached the top of the hill. As the scene below cam into view, she could see that the boy from before, the one who had stolen her bike, was under attack. A flock of Spearow were pecking at him and a Pikachu, lying nearby in the dirt. His back was riveted with lines of red where hungry beaks and eager claws had got past the large stick he was wielding.

"Let's go!" she shouted as her team flew and bounced down the hill, squirting off jets of water at any Spearow that got to close to them or the trainer who was staring at her with a mix of gratitude and wonder. Eventually, most of the flock was grounded or retreating and Misty slowly picked her way down the treacherously steep slope. The boy was still staring at her.

"Are you okay?" she said, quite loudly and clearly, just in case he was a little dim. Then she saw her bike, lying in the mud and clearly damaged. One of the wheels was bent almost at a right angle and the entire frame was covered in kinks and dents. He followed her gaze and finally managed to piece a sentence together.

"I…I'm sorry about your bike. I fell off it when we were escaping those Spearow." She grimaced, but decided that in the end, a bike was a fair price in return for the life of a person and a Pikachu.

"Viridian City's this way." She muttered, "I'd suggest you hurry with that Pikachu." He nodded, then took off, running past her with his blue coat flapping open and his childish red cap turned backwards. Misty sighed to herself. Ten percent of trainers were injured or killed in their first month of journeying and she had a feeling that this boy wasn't part of the majority.

It took a long time to walk to Viridian and by the time Misty arrived, the sun was going down. It was just as well that the journey hadn't taken any longer – the Duskull that sometimes appeared near Viridian City had a nasty reputation for violence and inducing nightmares. As she arrived at the Pokemon Centre, glad of a warm place where she could stay for free, Misty saw him. Again. That boy – he was sitting by the door outside the operating room, his fists clenched. After a moment's consideration, Misty walked over and sat next to him. He looked up, surprised.

"Hey," she whispered, "How's your Pikachu doing?" He shook his head.

"Don't know." She bit her lip.

"Well, did the Nurse say anything?"

"Don't know." This was starting to get irritating.

"Do you not think you'd be better off if you got your own wounds seen to as well?"

"Don't kno-"

"Well, you know what? I do know, and we are going to get you cleaned up. So come on, go over to the nurse and tell her that you think she should have a look at your cuts." Like his arms were made of lead, he stood up and wandered over to the desk. She saw him talk to the nurse, though he was speaking too quietly for her to hear the words. The nurse on duty nodded, then led him through to a back room. About five minutes later, he came out looking mostly the same, except for the fact that all his visible cuts had been covered with Band-aids or bandages, depending on the severity. Misty had to hand it to the nurses, they worked fast. He looked up at the light above the operation room door, but it was still on. Pikachu was still having emergency treatment. They sat there in an awkward silence for a minute, then Misty gave a wry smile.

"I don't even know your name," she smiled, "I'm Misty Waterflower." If he recognised her name, he didn't show it.

"Ash Ketchum." He muttered, though he didn't even seem to realise that he was speaking. It was almost as if he was just a shell of a person, a body in need of a soul. But, all of that disappeared when the light went off. He jumped to his feet and watched nervously as the nurse walked out of the doors. She was completely alone – but while Pikachu was nowhere to be seen, the woman did look as though she'd received a fairly powerful electric shock. Ash gulped.

"Is…is Pikachu okay?" he croaked out, his throat dryer than Egyptian cotton. The nurse looked at him sadly and shook her head once. She whispered two words.

"I'm sorry."


	2. Chapter 2

Wow, its been too long since I posted in this story. I'd given up on it, then just stumbled across the story while browsing, and got inspired to get going with it again. I hope you enjoy!

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First, my review replying things:

Nami-San625 and HeartAngel – thank you for your feedback, I'll be sure to keep you guessing ;)

Farla – Thanks a lot for giving me a full overview, it's much appreciated. Thanks for pointing out the dialogue errors especially, they occasionally confuse me. I only have to disagree about capitalization, most things I've seen have capitalized the first letters, including on the official Pokemon website. Also, I'm aware that the first episode in particular of the anime is fairly dark, but I am starting at the beginning and it will gradually get further from the original canon.

Anyway, I've rattled on too long already – time for the actual fic!

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The boy, Ash, swallowed nervously. Misty stood up, her brow furrowed. Nobody moved. Finally, the Nurse spoke again:

"There's no easy way to say this but…your Pikachu has…gone." Misty watched sadly as Ash slowly fell apart in front of her. Not even bothering to look for a seat, he sat down heavily, wrapping his arms across his face as sobs spasmed through his throat. Sighing gently, she squatted down beside him, rubbing him gently on the back. In normal circumstances, it would have been strange for someone he barely knew to act so intimately, but Misty and Ash had been temporarily bonded by tragedy and for the moment, he was glad of the comfort. Eventually, the wracking sobs subsided and his breathing slowed.

"Why don't you go and see him?" Misty whispered to Ash, "I know it will be hard, but it might give you…closure." Ash didn't respond for a moment, then nodded slightly, before climbing to his feet.

"Can you take me to him, Nurse?" he whispered, his voice barely more than a faint croak. His gaze was fixed on his feet. Strangely, though, the Nurse shook her head.

"Well, no, I can't, that's the problem. He's gone." Ash furrowed his brow for a minute, then something happened that Misty had never expected. He smiled.

"You mean he's gone…missing?" Misty gasped as the nurse nodded, looking thoroughly confused. Grinning like a maniac, Ash grabbed her arm and pulled her towards the door.

"Come on, he's alive, we have to find him!" he shouted, drawing more than a few strange glances. Misty, however, pulled away.

"Look…Ash, I'm happy that your Pikachu isn't dead, okay, but my Pokemon need resting too and to be honest, I don't even _know_ you. All you've told me is your name." Ash froze for a minute, a bemused look on his face. Then he stopped and shook his head.

"Of course. I have no right to get you involved. If Pikachu's run off, it might be angry and I couldn't have you getting hurt while helping me." Misty smiled gratefully, then wandered back to the desk to check in her Pokemon. Behind her, she heard the swishing sound of the automatic doors and the clattering of Ash's shoes as he began his 'search'. In spite of herself, she smiled a little. If Pikachu didn't want to come back, Ash might have some trouble catching it with stealth like that.

After dropping off her Pokémon, Misty wandered outside, sitting down on the bench outside the centre. Summer was gradually turning to autumn, but there was still enough warmth to make the outdoors comfortable. In fact, Misty felt so…comfortable…she never wanted…to get…up…

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"Hey, um, Misty? Are you okay?"

_What? Where am I?_

"I saw you just lying on this bench and I was worried you might have passed out or something."

_Oh…right…so who's that?_ Finally summoning enough energy to look up, Misty was greeted by a tired but happy looking face, surrounded by thick black hair. Ash.

"I got him!" he cried happily and held out his arms. Pikachu was cradled in them, sleeping quietly. Misty smiled.

"I guess he must have just got freaked out when he woke up surrounded by nurses and needles. You should probably take him inside, so that they can actually heal him up this time?" Ash grinned nervously and nodded.

"Um, this might sound a bit weird," he began, "But which way would you be heading once you leave Viridian?" Misty frowned.

"I'm heading to Cerulean. Why?"

"So you'll be going through Pewter City?"

"That's the only route available, isn't it? Look, Ash, where are you going with this?" The boy shook his head and ruffled his hair.

"Well, I'm heading to Pewter next, for a gym battle. I was wondering if, maybe, you wanted to travel together?" Misty frowned. Was he _blushing_? No, it was probably just the heat. Even though it had cooled rapidly since Misty had dozed off.

"Well," she began cautiously, "I, personally, don't have any problem with it…" she trailed off momentarily as she saw Ash's delighted face then forced herself to continue, "But what are people going to think if they see a teenage boy and girl travelling alone together?" Ash just looked confused.

"Ummm…I dunno. What will they think?" Misty had to laugh at Ash's naïveté.

"It doesn't matter. I'll be happy to come along with you." Ash grinned, then gestured towards the sleeping Pokémon in his arms.

"I'd better, er, go in." Misty smiled again as Ash rushed inside. Seconds later, her smile disappeared as she heard a whistle just behind her, followed by a loud bang and seconds later, the air was filled with smoke, choking the light and life out of everything. Coughing, Misty stumbled into the centre, but not before she caught a glimpse of some long, red, hair…

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A/N: well, you can probably guess who it is and yes, they are in this fan fiction, but I can assure you, they will not be anything like how you know them ;)


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